Vintage Valerie: Eisenhower’s Home

In 2004, my husband and I realized that we might not be living in Kansas as long as we had originally thought. I’ve mentioned many times that we love history, and seeing that our future in Kansas would be limited, we decided to take a trip to visit President Eisenhower’s birthplace and library. I remember it was a financial sacrifice to travel from Topeka to Abilene, Kansas, but I’m glad we did it. I only have a few pictures from that day – and I was so sure I’d taken more!

In front of his birthplace, where he and his five brothers were raised.

A full view of the house. We couldn’t snap photos inside. One story that really captured my imagination, was about when young Dwight was a boy. He had injured his leg and it looked very bad. The doctor had said he would have to amputate it if it didn’t improve. Dwight asked his brother (Edgar, I think) not to let them cut his leg off. He’d rather die. Edgar lay across the threshold of Dwight’s bedroom, so that doctor couldn’t get in without Dwight’s knowledge and start doing surgery! The leg healed and, we already know the rest of the story. I couldn’t help but wonder how history would have changed if Dwight D. Eisenhower had lost his leg as a child!

Lauren, gazing up at the sign in front of his library.

Me and my Lauren.

Lauren with his statue.

Me and the Statue. I remember it was a windy day!

Wow, look how tiny Mitch is!

This is inside a chapel at his home. He and Mamie are buried there.

Visiting Eisenhower’s home sparked my interest in this man. His museum is amazing – so much information about WWII and D-Day. After we got home, I read part of a bio of him written by Stephen E. Ambrose. These photos make me want to read it again! He was not a perfect leader, but God allowed him to do great things for America and Israel. I admire him.

Hello!

I'm Valerie! Thanks for dropping by my online home. I'm a pastor's wife, mom, bookworm, history lover, and writer. You can find out more about me by clicking that "About"
tab at the top, or by reading any of these blog posts. I write about theology, books, and my life as a mom. I know there are millions of places you can go online these days, so I count it an honor to have you here. Thank you!